The Bandra Magistrate Court, on Friday (24 January), extended the police custody of the primary accused in connection to the attack on Saif Ali Khan, till 29 January. According to a report in ANI, the court observed that the records didn’t suggest that the arrest is illegal.
Mumbai Police sought extended custody to investigate whether the accused has accomplices and find out where the weapon was procured from. Meanwhile, the accused's lawyer, Sandeep Shikhane, told the media that the police didn't add section 109 of the BNS (attempt to murder) to the case.
Mumbai Police Seeks Custody for Facial Recognition
In their first remand application, the police sought custody of 14 days, alleging that interrogation was necessary to determine if the accused acted alone or was instigated to commit the crime and uncover how he obtained Khan’s address, a report in Indian Express stated.
Speaking to the media on Friday, the accused’s lawyer informed, “In the hearing today, cops didn’t add BNS section 109 (attempt to murder) to the case. They gave the same reasons as earlier for judicial custody. The weapon and clothes have been recovered and they’ve sent it to the forensics.”
“From an investigation point-of-view, there was no sufficient reason to grant custody today. The accused’s presence or custody is required when the accused needs to be shown something, not for weapon recovery. Just because the matter is so hyped up, the court took it into consideration and granted 5-day custody,” he added.
‘Accused Denied That He’s the Suspect Captured in the CCTV Footage’: Lawyer
After the attack at Khan’s residence on 16 January, police had released visuals of a suspect as seen on the building's CCTV footage. The accused has claimed that he is not the man in the CCTV footage and has denied the allegations against him, Shikane said. The advocate claimed that the jawline, nose, and hair of the suspect didn’t match the accused.
The suspect was spotted in footage from the Bandra station on 16 January following which he was seen in a shop in Dadar at 9.04 AM, a few hours after the attack.
According to ANI, the police said that they needed the accused in custody to conduct a facial recognition match, adding, “We are still to receive his shoes which he wore during the crime.” The police will also reportedly record the statement of a West Bengal resident Khukmoni Sheikh whose Aadhar card the accused allegedly used to purchase a SIM card.
Shikhane told reporters that the police seized all the accused’s belongings after the arrest on Sunday. “With respect to the SIM card, an application can be made to the network company for the CDR (detailed call records). Why does the accused need to be in custody for that?” he asked.